Jordans Branch swamp azalea

I photograph yearly this wonderful azalea, endemic to the United States, since a friend called to my attention.

Old maps and books talk about Jordan’s Branch creek in Richmond’s West End. In the early 1900’s, Westwood Baptist Church used it as a Baptismal pond near the intersection of Willow lawn and Patterson.

The origin of Jordan’s Branch, now covered by development, apparently lies about 1½ miles west of Willow Lawn near St. Christopher’s School. Some people in that area once called the stream Tiber Creek. It runs almost entirely in underground pipes until it emerges at that Broad Street culvert by a green “Jordan’s Branch” sign.